The inquest heard that there had been disagreements hours before the crash between Miss Callaghan and Mr Gallacher.

The couple had been at Croft circuit for a rally event where Mr Gallacher, who runs AG Motorsports, had a team of rally cars.

Miss Callaghan had made allegations that drugs were being taken at the event.

Charles Brentley, part of the security team at the circuit, said that Miss Callaghan told him the allegations.

He told the coroner: “The allegations were about Mr Gallacher’s race team.”

Mr Gallacher’s team’s trucks were searched and no drugs were found, the inquest heard.

One of the organisers, Scott Emmerson, said he was satisfied that there was no drug misuse at the event.

Flowers left at the scene

The inquest heard that Miss Callaghan then left the event with a male friend but later returned.

She had an argument with Mr Gallacher before they later reconciled.

Mr Gallacher, 39, said they went to sleep in his van but at about 3.30am Miss Callaghan said she wanted to leave and go home.

He said: “She said ‘lets go home’. I wish I had told her ‘no’. I just went along with her.”

Mr Gallacher said that during the journey he twice asked his girlfriend to slow down.

He said: “She didn’t respond, she just carried on.”

They were travelling in the direction of Low Worsall when Miss Callaghan lost control of the car at a bend.

He said he couldn’t remember getting out of the car but remembers Miss Callaghan lying on the grass.

North Yorkshire Police traffic constable Stuart Langford, who investigated the crash, told the inquest that initially officers didn’t know who was driving the car.

Tests were carried out and it was found that bruising on Miss Callaghan was consistent with her being the driver.

Mr Langford said that due to the force that the handbrake had been lifted, and the fact that Miss Callaghan was driving, he said it was “unlikely” that she applied the handbrake.

He said: “Someone felt the need to put on the handbrake.”

He said the car had already lost control when the handbrake was applied and aid it can’t be known if it made a difference in the collision. He said: “It may have altered the position it hit the pole or it may have avoided it altogether, it is not known.”

Mr Gallacher said he did not apply the handbrake during the crash.

Mr Langford said Miss Callaghan was travelling at about 72mph in a 60mph zone.

A post-mortem examination found that Miss Callaghan was two-and-a-half times the legal drink drive limit.

During the hearing Mr Oakley put to Mr Gallacher that he had drugs in his system when he was tested after the crash.

He replied: “I don’t recall taking drugs.”

The couple had been together for three years and met through their love of motorsports.